The Ceredigion Herald

Lewis and Clayton in UK Open

Lewis and Clayton in UK Open

CARDIGAN’S Jamie Lewis and Jonny Clayton have both qualified for the UK Open Darts Championship, which is set to take place between next Friday (March 3) and Sunday, March 5.

They are just two of 128 players that have been confirmed for the tournament following the conclusion of the six UK Open Qualifiers for professionals and the Rileys Amateur Qualifiers.

The finals will be held at the Butlins Minehead Resort, with coverage live on ITV4 and play simultaneously across eight stages in the early rounds.

The six UK Open Qualifiers for PDPA members each featured £60,000 in prize money, with Peter Wright winning three of the tournaments, Simon Whitlock claiming a double and Michael van Gerwen securing one victory.

The series also saw Van Gerwen hit two nine-dart finishes in one match during Qualifier Four, while Ted Evetts, Darren Webster, Ronny Huybrechts and Christian Kist also achieved perfect legs.

Following the six UK Open Qualifiers, the top 96 players from the UK Open Order of Merit progress to compete in Minehead, alongside 32 Rileys Amateur Qualifiers who won through from knockouts held in Rileys Sports Bars across four weekends.

The players ranked 65-96 plus the Rileys Amateur Qualifiers enter at the first round stage in Minehead, with the players ranked 33-64 entering in the second round and the top 32 ranked players entering in the third round.

Jamie Lewis is set to enter at the second round stage and will play the winner of the match between Paul Hogan and Keegan Brown.

Jonny Clayton will enter at the first round and is set to play Jimmy McKirdy.

Dutchman Michael Van Gerwen has won the tournament for the past two years and he could walk away with a hat trick of titles.

Wales v Scotland postponed

WALES’ Six Nations match at home to Scotland on Saturday has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The two other Six Nation fixtures had already been postponed and no date has been confirmed to complete the 2020 Championship.

The Welsh Rugby Union had insisted earlier on Friday the game would “go ahead as planned”.

A WRU statement read: “The Welsh Rugby Union has maintained an open dialogue with, and continued to seek advice and direction from, the National Assembly for Wales and other stakeholders, including the Six Nations, on this fast-moving issue.

“Whilst medical advice remains consistent, we have decided that it is in the best interests of supporters, players and staff to fall in line with recent measures taken across the UK and global sports industries.

“The WRU would like to thank all parties for their counsel on the subject and will make further announcements with respect to rescheduling the fixture in the coming days.

“Every effort has been made to stage this game and we appreciate that individuals will have been inconvenienced. Given the fluid and unprecedented nature of this issue a postponement became the only viable option.”

Exercise Referral Scheme doing more for health intervention than ever before

A record 35,069 participants attended Exercise Referral classes during 2640 hours of health classes in 2019.

The National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) is an evidence-based health intervention scheme which incorporates physical activity and behavioural change techniques to support referred clients to make lifestyle changes to improve their health and well-being.

NERS Ceredigion has seen a dramatic increase in demand over the past year. A coordinator and four full time exercise professionals work to deliver the scheme, delivering 73 classes per week. The age of participants range from 16 years old, with the eldest participant in Ceredigion being 95.

Councillor Catrin Miles, Cabinet member with responsibility for Leisure, highlighted the benefits of the scheme, “There are many physical, psychological and social benefits to being part of the scheme, including confidence-building, better self-esteem, meeting new people and being generally fitter and healthier. Ceredigion Actif’s highly qualified Health Intervention Team provide opportunities to exercise that are fun, rewarding and that can be incorporated into everyday life.”

A participant in Aberystwyth said, “This has been the best thing I have ever done. I have thrived from doing different activities and pushing myself out of my comfort zone which has not only helped my self-esteem but also my depression and everything else including my pain. I have also made new friends which I didn’t even consider would happen and we’re not only being social but we’re having fun too which is a bonus”.

There is ongoing monitoring from the instructors with follow up assessments at 16 weeks as well as on completion at 52 weeks. Long-term ‘maintenance’ options are available post 16 weeks which include the continuation of exercise classes as well as opportunities to join clubs such as walking basketball, walking football, golf sessions and walking rugby.

During 2018-2019 there were 913 referrals to the scheme. To gain access to the scheme, a person needs to be referred by a Health Professional, usually a GP, Practice Nurse or a condition specific Physiotherapist.